Pattaya expat worries: unofficial survey

[oxo1947]

Yes Pattaya46..I was alluding to the most times that the normal person would have to deal with Immigration....I just see them 1 time a year to renew ..the 90 days is done by the local agent for 150 Baht, he has all the details and facts and goes on line, e-mails you to pick up your date for the next one if you want to. The whole thing is just getting easier --but dont tell that to the people with the big bottle of fear pills.....we are all just hanging by a thread here...and Doom is nigh.........

[over it]

8 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

And the last time that you know of a person going for a 90 check and being  kicked out of the country because the officer was having a bad day ....Was when Bob ???........

Talked to a guy last night in PP who was in the hospital when he 'overstayed' his visa. Immigration didn't care and banned him for 3 years. He's married to a Thai and has a house and business in Thailand.

[oxo1947]

1 hour ago, over it said:

Talked to a guy last night in PP who was in the hospital when he 'overstayed' his visa. Immigration didn't care and banned him for 3 years. He's married to a Thai and has a house and business in Thailand.

The penalty (according to Thai Visa)  is 2,000 Baht for failing to report for 90 days check with a max of 5,000 if you have gone over 2 cycles. There is no deportation for failing a 90 day.

 

But hey Please do not think I am doubting what some guy in a bar in PP told you happened to him... I mean what would Thai Visa know.......

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 5,000 baht is the maximum fine allowed for not reporting under the Immigration Act.
• If found to be late with a report (more than 96 days) you can be arrested and immigration will fine 4,000 baht plus 200 baht per day until the fine is paid. No court.
• You are still able to report within 7 days of the report due date without getting fined.

[DPKANKAN]

10 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

 

For me depends on insurance availability based on age. What happens when I am over 65? How easy is it to find insurance after this point on?

 

70-75? is it available?

 

Insurance companies should change their benchmark and take into consideration that the expected age of death is now almost fifteen to twenty years that which it was before...

I have recently been accepted here just before my 64th birthday. No medical required because I don't smoke. This is for 20 years. I was advised that I had to begin before I was 65.

Edited September 20, 2017 by DPKANKAN
Typo

[Elkski]

So many say the premiums are sky high over 65 or 70.  Only one gent said a number of 30k/mo.  But we don't know his health or if smoker or not.   

[glasswort]

I was informed by BUPA Thailand many years ago that as long as you take out insurance before you are 60 it will continue. Unfortunately I did not find this out until I was 65 and what was more annoying BUPA Thailand does not recognise BUPA UK policies.  I have therefore been forced to maintain my UK health insurance policy; at a heavy price I might add.

[swissie]

8 hours ago, CH1961 said:

yessssss ... Switzerland.

Only if your official residence is still Switzerland. Once official residence is Thailand (Abmeldung in CH), health insurance is no more mandatory.
Cheers.

[swissie]

11 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

For some reason you focus on the 90-day reporting only, but we meet immigration officials for more reasons. 

I do at least. 

 

Once a year you also need to renew/extend your visa for example.

And on a regular basis the government decides to change the requirements for those visa's.

 

For example they can decide tomorrow that you need 800k in a bank account for a marriage visa and 1.6mln for a retirement visa.

Do you really think every foreigner in Thailand is able to meet these changed criteria? 

 

The main point I am trying to make, and which you don't seem to grasp yet, is that there are little rights for foreigners here and your "permission to stay" can be revoked by the stroke of a pen. 

Good luck with your house, pension, apartment, dogs, and kids going to the local school. Maybe they can keep in contact through skype from across the border. How certain are you that you will be able to stay in Thaialdn for another 5 years? You simply do not know.

 

This unlike many European countries where rules are much more stable, people refused have official routes to appeal decisions made by immigration, and there are opportunities to get permanent residency giving you a guarantee you can stay.

That the "Capital-Requirements" for any Long-Term Visas (extentions) will be increased is more than likely. Taking inflation over the last 15 years into consideration, it's simply overdue!

- Plus the Trend is: Quality Tourists, quality Expats. Quality= Farangs with money.

Can happen overnight, affecting "new" long-term Farangs immediately.

Hope is, that Expats, having lived in Thailand for a number of years (those with Thai Family here, having produced offspring with a Thai female), will be spared from abrupt changes as far as this is concerned. "Grandfathering rights", so to speak.

Hopefully! But I certainly wouldn't count on it.
Cheers.

[tropo]

14 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

The rate for over 70 is staggering.  Even if you joined before you were 60.

How staggering is it?

[whitemouse]

22 hours ago, stephenterry said:

IMO, I think the main worries Pattaya ex-pats (with no disrespect) would have is Pattaya itself, including other ex-pats. It's a place that just drags one down into acceptance of seediness as being the norm. I lived there for a couple of years, and praise Buddha for letting me see the light.     

Nope. Pattaya is great!

 

My only worry is visa regulations. Under 50 it is difficult to stay here more than 6 months.

[wakeupplease]

Pattaya expat worries

 

Most expats worry about the fact they have splashed the cash on birds and booze and have nothing left should the visa rules change which would see them being deported with no cash in the bank to give them an old age back home, hence the invention of the high rise.

[LazySlipper]

13 hours ago, DPKANKAN said:

I have recently been accepted here just before my 64th birthday. No medical required because I don't smoke. This is for 20 years. I was advised that I had to begin before I was 65.

Seeing how people live longer now... what are you going to do if you get to 86?

 

Go back home?

[craigt3365]

7 hours ago, tropo said:

How staggering is it?

Impossible for most over 70 who didn't start coverage in their 50's.  Even then, I've heard of rates over 100k/month.

[The manic]

The expats I know are worried about the decline in nudity in the GoGo bars; the increase in bar fines; the pollution caused by Chinese tour buses; the price of booze; the strong baht; and streets full of soldiers interfering with things such as the Baht buses.

[The manic]

22 hours ago, does said:

Do do have any way to show this has actually happened to anyone who meets the requirements? If not, it's a pretty juvenile statement to make.

We used to call such people ' Worrit Warts'

[Rimmer]

A confusing post all in bright colors has been removed, please learn to use the quote reply functions, thank you

[Pattaya46]

10 hours ago, swissie said:

That the "Capital-Requirements" for any Long-Term Visas (extentions) will be increased is more than likely. Taking inflation over the last 15 years into consideration, it's simply overdue!

This requirement already increased in the past (at least twice for "retirement extension") but Immigration always grandfathered those who had Extensions at a cheaper requirement, and I see no reason why they would do differently in the future.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Pattaya46

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

This requirement already increased in the past (at least twice for "retirement extension") but Immigration always grandfathered those who had Extensions at a cheaper requirement, and I see no reason why they would do differently in the future.

Yes. Hopefully. No. Guarantees. Next. 

[Paul Collins]

On 9/20/2017 at 7:43 AM, wgdanson said:

My gf cannot get a visa to visit UK without valid health insurance.

Strange, my Thai wife goes to the UK with me every year for 2 weeks, has done for the past 10 years and medical insurance has never been mentioned once. Are you trying to get your gf a visa through a visa agency? if so it could be a little money maker by the agency which isn't required

[stud858]

There are condo owners under the age of 50 that would like to see the 1yr non o back for condo ownership. And visa run every 3 mths instead of 2. I like Thailand but the decision to make other choices is being made for me.

Peace to all.

[does]

On 9/21/2017 at 7:42 AM, The manic said:

We used to call such people ' Worrit Warts'

Who is we?

[davethailand]

On 21/09/2017 at 8:53 AM, Paul Collins said:

Strange, my Thai wife goes to the UK with me every year for 2 weeks, has done for the past 10 years and medical insurance has never been mentioned once. Are you trying to get your gf a visa through a visa agency? if so it could be a little money maker by the agency which isn't required

Pretty sure it was the same here for my wife, a Belgium visa they did ask for it but UK no.

:)

[The manic]

46 minutes ago, davethailand said:

Pretty sure it was the same here for my wife, a Belgium visa they did ask for it but UK no.

:)

Foreigners are not eligible for NHS treatment. Expats who have been away for 6 months can have problems too and have to produce not just ID but proof of address including utility bills.

[The manic]

On 22/09/2017 at 9:30 AM, does said:

Who is we?

Us

[davethailand]

13 minutes ago, The manic said:

Foreigners are not eligible for NHS treatment. Expats who have been away for 6 months can have problems too and have to produce not just ID but proof of address including utility bills.

Yes I know but on her tourist and C visit visa's before we were never asked to show health insurance. She has a spouse visa now so has NHS cover.

My NHS has always been fine even though I lived in Thailand previously.

:)

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by davethailand

[The manic]

1 hour ago, davethailand said:

Yes I know but on her tourist and C visit visa's before we were never asked to show health insurance. She has a spouse visa now so has NHS cover.

My NHS has always been fine even though I lived in Thailand previously.

:)

 

Thats good but ...the new law is clear and was introduced in 2013.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?427952-will-you-lose-right-to-NHS-treatment-if-you-leave-the-UK

You can go directly to the NHS website for details. If you are a returning expat you  can re-estabish your residence credentials within 3 months but you can't just pop back for NHS treatment. That's the idea. The newish system is still being rolled out and being implemented with various degrees of rigour.

Edited September 26, 2017 by The manic

[davethailand]

My situation was weird as I still had an address in the UK and paid NI payments for the 13 years I spent in Pattaya but I was down as overseas as I had work permits etc in Thailand.

As said I was back in the UK in 2013 and used the hospital for check ups etc for my broken wrist after an accident in Thailand.

That said when I returned here in 2014 I had to sit an habitual residency test to see if I was entitled to benefits, I wasn't allowed any for 3 months, NHS was ok though.

:)

[The manic]

2 minutes ago, davethailand said:

My situation was weird as I still had an address in the UK and paid NI payments for the 13 years I spent in Pattaya but I was down as overseas as I had work permits etc in Thailand.

As said I was back in the UK in 2013 and used the hospital for check ups etc for my broken wrist after an accident in Thailand.

That said when I returned here in 2014 I had to sit an habitual residency test to see if I was entitled to benefits, I wasn't allowed any for 3 months, NHS was ok though.

:)

See amended reply above. Good luck.

[davethailand]

Just now, The manic said:

See amended reply above. Good luck.

cheers.

All good now as I'm staying put in the UK for a while.

:)

[The manic]

Just now, davethailand said:

cheers.

All good now as I'm staying put in the UK for a while.

:)

Enjoy.